


Stitched Together

by prettyface_lonelyheart



Category: Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Out of Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-06 09:45:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16830133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettyface_lonelyheart/pseuds/prettyface_lonelyheart
Summary: An outsider, Isabelle's never met any of Hugo's friends. Despite her thinking they won't accept her, she agrees to help them in the college's annual charity event.





	Stitched Together

**Author's Note:**

> This was something I whipped up in two days, or more accurately: a day and a half, since I've been burnt out with college stuff. Not really all that great, but think of younger versions of the Basterds and have at it!

“Hey, are you doing anything on Friday night?” Hugo looked up from his composition notebook.

“You know I’m not,” Isabelle scoffed, pulling her black leather jacket over her shoulders and gathering her long hair to the side.

She threw a playful smirk his way and pulled the zipper up in on swift motion.

“Well, excuse me for asking,” Hugo rolled his blue eyes and returned the friendly expression. “Anyway, there’s this thing I’m doing with the guys.”

“The toy-making thing for St. Jude’s? I’ve heard of it.”

Isabelle saw posters of the Brookstown Toy Shop pinned on every bulletin board around campus. Well, the boards she saw anyway, since she rarely strayed far from her usual four-building route. All her classes—plus her frequented dining pavilion—were in Brookstown’s “east wing”, which consisted of the Art, Humanities, and Communications buildings.

He nods. “I was wondering if you’d like to come and help us out.”

“Just you, me and your friends?”

“And their girlfriends, too.”

To this, Isabelle’s lips made a straight line across her face, her chin going up and down.

“Something wrong with that?”

Taken aback by this, she quickly shook her head and tucked a waterfall of hair behind her ear. He didn’t sound offended, just curious.

“No, not at all. It’s just that... Never mind, it’s stupid,” Isabelle’s gaze dropped to her lap.

She fidgeted with the ring on her left middle finger, running the opposite thumb over the black, plastic rose that sat on the center of the thin, gold band.

“Isabelle, tell me,” Hugo coaxed, placing his hand gently over her stocking-covered knee.

Her dark brown orbs gazed upon his face.

She still couldn’t figure out how she’d gotten him to be her boyfriend. Throughout her teenage years, she’s accepted the fact that she was just not dateable. She was convinced there was, in a fact, a God somewhere, when Hugo Stiglitz not only asked her out, but actually _meant_ it. Isabelle couldn’t count the number of times she’d been asked out as a joke on one hand. Other times, she was just flat-out ignored.

Hugo was incredibly handsome. Short, blond curls sprung from the top of his head with the sides and back buzzed. He made hearts soar simply by the tug of his lips up one cheek, two creases forming over his peach complexion. While he’d been in the United States for several years now, he still maintained his European accent.

“It’s just that... I’ve never met your friends before. I don’t think they’re going to like me. And their girlfriends...” Isabelle tried picking her words carefully. “I’m just... different. Like, bad different.”

One of the reasons why their relationship was unusual was his choosing of someone outside of Greek life, which wasn’t common in Brookstown. She wasn’t involved in anything for that matter. As a writer, the closest thing that aligned with her interests was the school paper, but she didn’t even _like_ reporting. It never really bothered her since she was always driving, studying, working, or sleeping to have any time for anything outside of school.

“They’ll love you, Isabelle. You’re so sweet and creative. I just know they will,” Hugo reassures. “You can sit with me the whole time. I won’t mind.”

Isabelle smiled. This time, a more genuine smile.

She loved how understanding he was. It wasn’t easy telling him about her past, being alienated and tormented so much to the point of having mental breakdowns, skipping class due to anxiety attacks, and wanting to end it all. Everyone was making memories and falling in love for the first time. Isabelle was trapped between the white walls of the emergency room twice, both for suicidal ideations, awaiting her transfer to a behavioral health facility. It was the first time she’d ever been in the back of an ambulance.

After the first hospitalization, she’d closed herself off even more. Middle school was already hell for her. It didn’t help that a nasty rumor got out, where she supposedly threatened someone for rejecting her invitation to attend the end-of-the-year eighth grade dance with her. It was ridiculous. She would never hurt anyone. People who actually _knew_ her knew this too, but there wasn’t anything she could do to repair the damage.

High school wasn’t much better. She looked to reinvent herself, but the first day of freshman year, some jock approached her and asked if she was _that_ girl. Again, relentless bullying followed for the next four years. She was surprised she even graduated, considering how many times she’d thought about what it would be like if she was just gone. _No one would have cared_ , she said to herself. So much that it became a mantra.

Her dream to change the world through her writing was enough to push her to keep going. That, and hopefully meet someone who would look past all that. To finally feel the love she felt mental illness had kept from her.

Hugo didn’t know all this. He just knew she suffered from depression and anxiety. He knew social settings weren’t really her thing and she preferred spending time with him while he talked about soccer or a new film project he was working on for class. (She wasn’t the sporty type at all, but she loved hearing about his family’s tradition come soccer season, where they’d gather around in bars with their closest friends, some with streaks of black, red, and yellow across the cheek in face paint.)

Besides, the days when people muttered “psycho” towards your direction while you walked the unforgiving high school halls wasn’t the most ideal discussion to be having when you’re getting to know someone.

* * *

A week later, Isabelle was parked in one of the student lots.

She sat in the driver's seat of her black Nissan Juke for what felt like hours, taking deep breaths and fixing the white collar peeking out over the neckline of her red sweater.

The two layers under her leather jacket with the fur lining weren’t enough to keep her from freezing, so she made her way to the informally dubbed “Greek street”, where several fraternity and sorority houses lined the outskirts of Brookstown.

She felt small as she neared the large, red brick house with a shingled roof. On the center of the white, triangular roof extending from the front were the golden letters for Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Holding up the white roof were four pillars. The middle two framed the entrance and surrounding windows.

Isabelle went up the four steps that connected the ground to the porch and announced her arrival with a _thump, thump, thump_ of the golden door knocker on the black door.

A man wearing a dark blue SAE hoodie answered, “Hi, can I help you?”

“Oh, uh...” Isabelle hesitated, burying her hands as deep as she could in her pockets. “Is Hugo there?”

Before either of them could get a word in, a white hand clapped over the man’s shoulder and Hugo came into view.

“Schatzi, you made it!” he leaned past the door frame and planted a kiss on Isabelle’s blushed cheek.

He pulled back and introduced the two.

“This is my girlfriend, Isabelle. Isabelle, Donny.”

“Oh! Pleased to meet you!” Donny extended a hand towards their guest.

Isabelle shyly took it and gave it a shake.

She was invited inside the warm foyer, a chandelier hung from the high ceiling above their heads.

As she stomped off the snow that didn’t melt onto the porch and unzipped her jacket, Donny spoke again.

“So sorry about that. I just haven’t seen you before. We usually recognize everyone who comes to our door right away,” he scratched the back of his head.

“Yeah, like all the girls are lining up for you, Donny!” Hugo laughed as he helped Isabelle out of her jacket.

“You know what—“ Donny sucked his teeth and playfully punched Hugo’s arm.

“They better not!” a woman with light brown hair and pale skin came into the foyer.

“’Course not, babe,” Donny pulled the woman close with his arm around her shoulder.

“Good,” she cracked a smile before turning to the other woman in the room. “I’m Chase.”

“Isabelle.”

This time, Isabelle was the one to put her hand out. Chase clasped her hand with hers and shook it.

“Did you guys start yet?” Hugo asked Chase.

“No, we’re just hanging out in the living room,” she replied and looked at Isabelle again. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to everyone here!”

* * *

Four cardboard boxes full of teddy bears and over 20 cups of hot chocolate later, everyone was ready to turn in for the night.

“Thanks for coming! It was so nice to meet you!” a girl named Jenna hugged Isabelle before leaving with her sisters to the Kappa Delta house.

Once they’ve gotten their outerwear on, Hugo walked Isabelle to her car.

He took note of her watching the snowflakes flurry around the dull glow of the streetlights surrounding the path to the parking garage. It was so cold outside, yet she was keeping his side—and heart—warm.

Isabelle unlocked her car with the beeper on her key ring and Hugo opened the door for her.

She stood on her toes and kissed him before slipping into the driver's seat. “Thank you.”

Once she locked the doors, she clicked her seatbelt on. From her window, she saw no sign of Hugo anywhere.

 _There was no way he’d made it out of the garage so fast_ , she thought.

She nearly jumped through the roof when she heard tapping on the passenger side window. There he was.

“Can you unlock the door?” he asked.

Weird. Did she forget something?

She did so and he got into her car.

“What is it?” she asked.

“I just wanted to say I’m happy you came,” he took her hand in his and kissed the back of it. “And I know it was hard for you to, so I’m proud of you. Always am.”

Isabelle leaned in to kiss his cheek, her cheeks flushed, both because of the cold and him. “That means so much.”

“And I wanted to give you something,” he buttoned his coat halfway and his hand disappeared underneath the flap over his heart.

He pulled out a stuffed bear. It was light brown with a black, velvet ribbon around its neck and bat wings by the right ear that doubled as a bow. On its face were two hills for closed eyes with three small lines on each for eyelashes. Below the eyes was a black circle for a nose.

"Hugo, it’s adorable,” Isabelle smiled and reached over to hug him, as far as her seatbelt would allow, anyway.

He gave her another kiss. “Drive safe, Isabelle. Text me when you get home.”


End file.
